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A TREATISE 



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GIVING 



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j BY 

JOHN N DlLAMATER 



NORWALK, O.. 

The Norwalk Chronicle Print. 

1884. 



A TREATISE 



-ON- 



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GIVING 



"l[i]8ti»-aetiorja l^ow to '^TO'^eTlj ^taol^ all 

l^ir|d8 of C^i'air}, so as to ^preserve irj 

ftje "best ;g088i"ble irjarjriei? fo-p 

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/BY i^ ^oMi ^^. 

JOHN N/DELAMMtTR:-^ "•'^-^ 



NORWALK, 0.: 

The NnrwalK Chronicle Print. 

1884- 






Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1884, 

By JOHN N. DeLAMATER. 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. D. C 






^PREFACE.#t^ 

So far as I am aware, this'Jis an untried field 
of labor — a pioneer work which I have had under 
consideration for the last fifteen years; during 
which time the closest attention has been given to 
details of building, and careful observations made 
on results, when the stacks were being taken down. 
JOHN N. DeLAMATER. 



TEEITISE 



i &E1II STffli, 



PLACING FOUNDATION. 



If convenient, make a foundation of rails, by 
placing three rails about four and one-half feet 
apart and parallel, and then add half or two thirds 
the length of a rail to each, and cover by laying 
rails crossways. and finish by laying a large rail 
or post in the center lengthways. ^ 

This will form a foundation large enough for ten 
or twelve large loads. If rails, poles or boards 
cannot be had for an entire foundation, endeavor 



to get something to support the heads of a few cen- 
ter sheaves; for if sheaves are set on end to com- 
mence a stack, the middle is apt to settle too 
much. 

COMMENCING TO BUILD. 

On the rail foundation, lay around the center in 
,the form of an ellipse, with the heads lapping well 
across the center rail; lap half and continue to lay 
towards the outside until foundation is covered. 
Now commence at the outside and lay a course 
around, neither laying out or drawing in, except to 
correct any little error that may occur in the ellip- 
tical form of the stack ; complete the courses to 
the center, but don't fill the middle too full ; if the 
outside is lower than the middle, lay a double 
6ourse around outside; keep your stack Jlat — full 
as high at outside as center; build the first load 
straight up, neither^ laying out or drawing in, if 
the stack is to contain ten or twelve loads; if eight 
or nine, lay the last course out a little. . 

LAYING OUT. 

If the stack is flat and as near an ellipse as the 



eye can judge, laying out and keeping the stack 
properly b;i lanced will he very easy. Drive alter- 
nate loads on opposite sides of the stack: this will 
help to keep the stack properly balanced. If the 
eye detects a place that seems to be lower than 
the general level, it will be found that it was caused 
by laying out more there than at other points; to 
remedy this defect, draw in the next outside course 
at the low point six, eight or ten inches, according 
to the depression. The greater the depression, the 
more it should be drawn in, and the next inside 
course at the low point should be shoved out near- 
ly to the buts of the outside course, then continue 
to build as though nothing had happened. If a 
high place should be observed, the next outside 
course should be laid farther out, and inside course 
at this point drawn well in. Glance frequently 
over the stack and see if the outside presents the 
appearance of an ellipse, and keep a sharp lookout 
for high and low spots. If the middle is too full, 
the outside will slip out, and an undesirable job of 
propping will begin. Put in two thirds of what is 
intended for the stack before commencing to draw 
in. Don't let a stack stand over ni«ht at this sta^e 



if it can be avoided, but put on the next two loads 
is quickly as possible, for the outside of the stack 
will settle rapidly. 

FILLING THE MIDDLE. 

Lay a tier of bundles through the center half the 
length of the stack, alternating heads and buts, 
then lay a course around with the heads lapping 
across the^ middle tier; now another tier through 
the center, and two courses around it; then another 
tier at 'center and courses around, until the center 
is three or four feet higher than the outside of the 
stack, and the last course laved laps half way from 
head to band on , the outside course of the stack. It 
will be seen that while building, the main part of 
the stack, the courses were laid from outside to 
center, and while filling tjie middle or putting in 
th^ stuffing,- the courtes are laid from center to- 
wards outside. Now commence outside, lay a 
course, heads out, half way from band to but on 
outside course, then turn buts out, lap half and 
lay to center; then lay a course around outside, 
neither laying out or drawing in. 

Now comes a point that should not be overlooked : 



Lay a course, buts out, lapping Lalf way from 
heads to band on outside course; then lap half and 
lay to center. 

The reason for laying the buts of second course 
half way from heads to band is to give the buts of 
the next outside course above a chance to rest firm- 
ly on the course below, leaving no unoccupied 
space; if the buts of second course were laid out 
to the band of outside course, then the next out- 
side course above, being drawn in, would rest one- 
third of the wa}' from band to but. on the buts of 
the course below, leaving a space for rain to drive 
in and wet the stack. Draw in outside course rap- 
idly; lay buts of second course half way from 
head to band on outside course as long as stack 
top is large enough ; keep middle well piled up. 

A stack can be drawn in very rapidly, without 
danger of taking in water from a protracted rain, 
even if the outside of the stack grows green, no 
sheaf will be found wet above the band, and the 
middle of stack dry, for the buts of outside course 
will form a thatch roof to protect the stack. 

The placing of a few top bundles is a matter of 
small importance. If a stack has been properly 



10 

built it will receive but little injury if top bundles 
should blow off. A strand or two of wire, with 
sticks or stones at the ends to weight them down, 
will usually hold the top in place. 

ORECAPITULXTION.O 

The first load being built straight up and flat on 
top forms a firm and secure base on which to build 
the upper structure. 

Laying out or putting in the bulge is the most 
important part of the stack, for it contains the 
greater part of the grain; by laying out and keep- 
ing the stack /a^, the work can be done rapidly, 
and when the stack settles the buts will hang 
down, for there is nothing to hold them up. 

Filling the middle corresponds to putting rafters 
on a building to support the roof. 

SUGGESTIONS. 

I have found in the course of a long experience, 
that a foundation eleven or twelve feet wide and 
eighteen or twenty feet long, and a stack built in 
the form of an ellipse, and so as to contain ten or 
twelve large loads, to be the most convenient and 



economical. Grain can be put into a stack of this 
size much more rapidly than in small stacks. If a 
stack is built much larger it will require more la- 
bor to pass the bundles across the stack, and will 
have to be carried much higher before it is topped 
out, which takes time and hard work. 

The elliptical form I have found the best; 
with a load driven to the side of the stack, 
the pitcher is never very far from the stacker; 
the stack is easily kept balanced, and at threshing 
time the grain is readily got to the machine. In 
a round stack of the same size, the stacker gets 
farther away from the pitcher, and it requires more 
skill to keep a round stack properly balanced; but 
if a round stack, after it is finished and settled* 
looks like an egg standing erect on the large end, 
that is good enough; it will not take water, and 
looks well, too. A square stack, or one with cor- 
ners, is easily kept balanced, but in turning the 
corners there is too much fullness at the heads of 
the bundles, and when the stack settles there will 
usually be a sag on each side to catch water. 

Two stakes, one eight and the other ten rods 
away, and in line with the center of foundation. 



will sometimes assist the stacker in keeping his 
stack well balanced, for at a glance he can tell 
whether the center is in line with the stakes. A 
man ma}- build, as his fancy dictates, either round, 
elliptical or square, but in all, the same general 
principles must be observed — the lower part of the 
stack built straight up; put in a bulge which set- 
tles down around and nearly conceals the lower 
part, leaving the center of the bulge high; filling 
the middle to support the center of the top. These 
are the principles on which good stacking depends. 
If a man gets them well fixed in his mind and dis- 
cards the idea that he must keep the middle full 
from the ground up, he will have but little damaged 
grain, even in the very worst of seasons. 

A boy to hand bundles is usually more damage 
than good until a stack is half built, and then he 
should not be allowed to stand on outside course. 
If practical, drive alternate loads on opposite sides 
of the stack; this is very desirable, but if, from 
the nature of surroundings, it is necessarj^ to drive 
all on one side, draw the top of the stack over a 
foot or two towards the side where the unloading 



13 

is done; the opposite side will settle considerably 
the most, which will leave the stack straight up. 

FANCY STACKING. 

For a pyranoid stack, build as usual up to within 
two or three rounds of where drawing in commen- 
ces, then draw in a little at center of sides and 
ends to bring the curves to straight lines; keep 
the corners well out, observing the form of a rec- 
tangle in filling the middle, and finish to top. 

For a gothic stack, build an ordinary one until 
commencing to draw in, then draw in the oval cor- 
ners and build center of sides and ends straight up. 
For an X stack draw in sides and ends; 
build center straight up. These stacks look very 
ornamental on a premium farm and will save well, 
but take more time to build than ordinary stack 
tops. 

SAMPLE STACK. 

With some, the idea seems to prevail, that the 
middle of the stack should be kept full from the 
ground up. With the center high enough to pro- 
tect the stack after it is settled, it is impossible to 
lay out or even build straight up, for the outside 



14 

sheaves are constantly slipping out, and the pro- 
cess of building rendered slow and tiresome, and 
when the stack is completed and settled, it will 
usually be found that the center has gone down so 
much and the outside so little, that the butts of 
the sheaves stick up and form excellent conductors 
to wet the stack. « 

Usually at harvest the country is full of good 
stackers, and if, between that time and threshing, 
there is little or no rain, they live through and 
there is a good supply next year; but if, between 
stacking and threshing, a protracted rain occurs, 
vast multitudes are drowned, so that, at threshing 
time, but few good stackers are found alive. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 




002 681 729 8 



